– Britstown-Strydenburg road is a danger to motorists.
– Commitments to address danger zones have not materialised.
– Urgent emergency repairs must be initiated to save lives.
Six months after the DA exposed the dangerous condition of the Britstown–Strydenburg road and secured assurances from the Northern Cape Department of Roads and Public Works that danger zones would be addressed, I am reiterating my call for immediate emergency repairs to this stretch of road.
This comes after I once again witnessed a pothole-related accident on the same route this week.
Ironically, I was filming the crater-like potholes to highlight the deteriorating conditions of the road, when I saw a vehicle hit a 30cm-deep pothole at speed. With no warning signs in place, the impact destroyed a tyre.
The occupants, a woman in her sixties and her aunt in her eighties, were fortunately unharmed. However, the outcome could have been far worse. I assisted them in changing the tyre but had I not been there, they would have been stranded and vulnerable on the side of the road.
This road is a death trap. I have warned the department before, and I repeat that warning: unless this road is urgently repaired, it is only a matter of time before lives are lost.
The shocking state of this road, barely eight months after repairs were undertaken, continues to raise serious questions about the quality of workmanship and the oversight of road maintenance contracts.
Poor-quality work cannot go unchallenged. Contractors must be held accountable for the damage caused to motorists and the very real threat posed to human life. Equally, government cannot simply wash its hands of responsibility by pointing to SANRAL. This road affects Northern Cape residents and the thousands of people who travel through our province.
The DA will demand answers and action at the upcoming legislature meeting scheduled with the department. We will also continue to monitor the state of the province’s roads.
It is unfair that taxpayers must pay for poor road management and drivers are left to cover the cost of damaged vehicles. Until urgent repairs are done, motorists are urged to be extremely careful on this road.